Bad Bunny's Song "Perreo Sola" is an Anthem for Dancing Alone While Social Distancing

• Bad Bunny's buzzy song "Yo Perreo Sola," from his new album YHLQMDLG, is already a hit in Latinx and Hispanic communities.
• The song celebrates women who want to dance on their own.
• Below, check out the lyrics—and their translation from Spanish to English—plus some of the deeper meaning in the song's video.

One of the standout songs on Bad Bunny’s latest album, YHLQMDLG, is without a doubt “Yo Perreo Sola” —translation “I Twerk Alone” — featuring the rapper's fellow Puerto Rican artist Nesi. The song about dancing alone has quickly become an anthem for Latinx and Hispanic folks who are quarantining and social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic. But the meaning behind the track is also especially meaningful for women, as the lyrics follow a young girl who just wants to have a good night dancing by herself—and maybe some friends—without having to deal with harassment.

On a surface level, the lyrics suggest the woman in question is trying to move on from a relationship. Nesi's opening lines, "Ante' tú me pichaba' (Tú me pichaba') / Ahora yo picheo (Hmm, nah)," translate to, "Before, you ignored me (You ignored me) / Now, I ignore you." And during one of Bad Bunny's verses, he sings, "No cree en amor desde 'Amorfoda' (No) / El DJ la pone y se las sabe todas," which means, "She doesn't believe in love since 'Amorfoda' (No) / The DJ plays songs and she knows them all." The "Amorfoda" there references an earlier Bad Bunny song that talks about the pain you feel after losing love. Who can relate?

But in the official video for "Yo Perreo Sola," the lyrics take on an even deeper meaning. Not only does Bad Bunny dress in drag, but one neon green sign hanging in the background reads “Ni Una Menos” or “Not One Less.” This refers to the movement across Latin America dedicated to fighting gender inequality and the abuse of women and the trans community. Bad Bunny has often spoken out about sexual violence, both through his music and his fashion. (During a recent performance on The Tonight Show, he wore a shirt that paid tribute to a trans woman who was murdered in Puerto Rico while performing his song "Ignorantes.")

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So taken together, "Yo Perreo Sola" isn’t only an anthem for independent women, it’s also a call to arms for marginalized groups who don’t always get the space to just be themselves. And in this time of social distancing, where we are all literally dancing alone, fans are eager to get to the club and celebrate this empowering message.

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There has, however, been some backlash—some of it about Bad Bunny's decision to dress in drag. Artist Anuel AA was accused of making homophobic comments on his Instagram stories around the time of the video release when he wrote, "El conejo malo jugando a los transformers," which means, "The Bad Rabbit playing transformers," according to E! News. Anuel deleted the story and attempted to clarify, adding that he wasn't looking to make friends in this industry apart from a select few.

Bad Bunny explained the video to Rolling Stone: “I wrote it from the perspective of a woman. I wanted a woman’s voice to sing it — ‘yo perreo sola’ — because it doesn’t mean the same thing when a man sings it. But I do feel like that woman sometimes.”

Some additional controversy surrounded the fact that singer Nesi herself does not appear in the video, nor is she featured on the song as a performer. (Though she is credited as a writer.) This is yet another example of the problem Latinx women making reggaeton music have faced for years, and it’s been especially disappointing for fans to see this from an artist who has otherwise been so inclusive.

Genius asked Nesi about her absence from the video, and she said it didn’t bother her. “He must have his reasons, if he didn’t want to put me in it. But it didn’t bother me either,” she said. “Regardless, I feel super grateful to him.” And ahead of the video's release, Nesi posted a clip of her singing her hook on a yacht with her friends—so it seems like there truly are no hard feelings there.

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So if you want to sing along to "Yo Perreo Sola", here are the full Spanish lyrics to the song, and the English translation—courtesy of Genius.

Spanish lyrics

[Refrán: Nesi]

Ante' tú me pichaba' (Tú me pichaba')

Ahora yo picheo (Hmm, nah)

Antes tú no quería' (No quería')

Ahora yo no quiero (Hmm, no)

Ante' tú me pichaba' (-chaba')

Ahora yo picheo (Jaja)

Antes tú no quería' (Ey)

Ahora yo no quiero

No, tranqui

[Coro: Nesi & Bad Bunny]

Yo perreo sola (Hmm, ey)

Yo perreo sola (Perreo sola; jaja; hmm-hmm)

Yo perreo sola (Jaja, hmm; ey)

Yo perreo sola (Perreo sola)

Okay, okay, ey, ey, ey

[Verso 1: Bad Bunny]

Que ningún baboso se le pegue (No)

La disco se prende cuando ella llegue (¡Wuh!)

A los hombres los tiene de hobby

Una malcriá' como Nairobi (Jaja)

Y tú la ve' bebiendo de la botella (Ey)

Los nene' y las nena' quieren con ella

Tiene má' de veinte, me enseño la cédula (Ajá)

Ey, del amor e' una incrédula (¡Wuh!)

Ella está soltera antes que se pusiera de moda (Ey)

No cree en amor desde "Amorfoda" (No)

El DJ la pone y se las sabe todas

Se trepa en la mesa y que se jodan (Wuh)

En el perreo no se quita (¡No!)

Fuma y se pone bellaquita

Te llama si te necesita

Pero por ahora está solita

[Coro: Bad Bunny]

Ella perrea sola (Wuh)

Ey, ey, ey, ey, ey, ey

Ella perrea sola

(Perrea sola, ella perrea sola, sola, sola)

Ey, ella perrea sola

Ey, ey, ey, ey, ey, ey

Ella perrea sola (Ella perrea sola)

Ella perrea sola

[Verso 2: Bad Bunny]

Tiene una amiga problemática

Y otra que casi ni habla (No)

Pero las tre' son una' diabla' (Prr)

Y hoy se puso minifalda

Los phillie' en las Louis Vuitton los guarda

[Puente: Bad Bunny & Nesi]

Y me dice "papi" (Papi, sí; yes, yes)

'Tá bien dura como Natti (Aah)

Borracha y loca, a ella no le importa (Woo)

Vamo' a perrear, la vida es corta, ey (Hoo)

Y me dice "papi" (Papi, sí; yes, yes)

'Tá bien dura como Natti (Aah)

Despué' de las doce no se comporta (Ey)

Vamo' a perrear, la vida e' corta (Woo)

[Refrán: Nesi & Bad Bunny]

Ante' tú me pichaba' (Tú me pichaba')

Ahora yo picheo (Hmm, nah; loco)

Ante' tú no quería' (¿Pero cuándo yo dije eso?)

Ahora yo no quiero (Pero, pero; no)

Ante' tú me pichaba' (Nah)

Ahora yo picheo (Yo nunca te he picha'o, mami)

Ante' tú no quería' (Ay, Dio')

Ahora yo no quiero

No, tranqui

[Coro: Nesi]

Yo perreo sola (Hmm, ey)

Yo perreo sola (Perreo sola; jaja; hmm-hmm)

Yo perreo sola (Jaja, hmm; ey)

Yo perreo sola (Perreo sola)

English lyrics

Before you ignored me (You ignored me)

Now I ignore you (Hmm, nah)

Before, you didn't want (Didn't want to)

Now I don't want (Hmm, no)

Before you ignored me (-nored me)

Now I ignore you (Haha)

Before, you didn't want (Ayy)

Now I don't want

No, chill

I twerk alone (Hmm, ayy)

I twerk alone (Twerk alone, haha, hmm-hmm)

I twerk alone (Haha, hmm, ayy)

I twerk alone (Twerk alone)

Okay, okay, ayy, ayy, ayy

That no pervert approach her (No)

The club turns up when she arrives (Woo!)

Men are her hobby

She is spoiled like Nairobi (Haha)

And you see her drinking from the bottle (Ayy)

The boys and the girls want with her

She is older than twenty, she showed me her ID (Uh-huh)

Ayy, she is skeptical of love (Woo!)

She's been single before it was a trend (Ayy)

She doesn't believe in love since "Amorfoda" (No)

The DJ plays songs and she knows them all

She climbs on the table and fuck it (Woo)

When she twerks she doesn't stop (No!)

She smokes and gets horny

She'll call you if she needs you

But for now she is alone

She twerks alone (Woo)

Ayy, ayy, ayy, ayy, ayy, ayy

She twerks alone

(Twerks alone, she twerks alone, alone, alone)

Ayy, she twerks alone

Ayy, ayy, ayy, ayy, ayy, ayy

She twerks alone (She twerks alone)

She twerks alone

She has a problematic friend

And another one that almost never talks (No)

But the three of them are devils (Prr)

And today she is wearing a miniskirt

She keeps her Phillies in the Louis Vuitton

And she calls me "papi" (Papi, yes, yes, yes)

She's really hot like Natti (Ah)

Drunk and crazy, she doesn't care (Woo)

Let's twerk, life is short, ayy (Hoo)

And she calls me "papi" (Papi, yes, yes, yes)

She's really hot like Natti (Ah)

After twelve o'clock she doesn't behave (Ayy)

Let's twerk, life is short (Woo)

Before you ignored me (You ignored me)

Now I ignore you (Hmm, nah, crazy)

Before, you didn't want (But when did I say that?)

Now I don't want (But, but, no)

Before, you ignored me (Nah)

Now I ignore you (I've never ignored you, babe)

Before you didn't want (Oh, God)

Now I don't want

No, chill

I twerk alone (Hmm, ayy)

I twerk alone (Twerk alone, haha, hmm-hmm)

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Stephanie Castillo

Stephanie is an SEO manager for Hearst Magazines, where she works closely with editors to help inform a unique content strategy for search. Previously, she was an editor for Time Inc’s news group, including Time, Fortune, and Money Magazine.